Canadian National Railways Radio DepartmentKirt's Cogitations™
#280

RF Cafe visitor and frequent e-mailer Joe Birsa (N3TTE) sent a note saying that the Spring
2017 issue of
Classic Trains magazine contains an article titled "Radio and the People's
Railway," by
Greg Gormick. I do not have a copy on-hand, so I went to Wikipedia for
some information on the
Canadian National Railways Radio Department, where it says in part:

"CNR Radio or CN Radio (officially the Canadian National Railways Radio Department) was
the first national radio network in North America. It was developed, owned and operated by
the Canadian National Railway between 1923 and 1932 to provide en route entertainment and
information for its train passengers. As broadcasts could be received by anyone living in
the coverage area of station transmitters, the network provided radio programming to Canadians
from the Pacific coast (at Vancouver) to the Atlantic coast (at Halifax).

During its nine-year existence, CNR Radio provided music, sports, information and drama
programming to Canadians. Programming was produced in English, French and occasionally in
some First Nations languages, and distributed nationwide through the railway's own telegraph
lines and through rented airtime on other private radio stations. However, political and competitive
pressure forced CNR Radio to close, with many of its assets and personnel migrating to a new
government-operated agency, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC), which ultimately
led to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation."

Note: The article can only be accessed online by subscribers. If you cannot find a copy
on the newsstand, check your library (they might be able order it if
not on the shelf).

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